For Second Time Baylor University Rejects Application From Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Student Group For Official Student Group Recognition

KXXV reports that Baylor University again denied official student recognition to a student group dealing with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender group, the Baptist, Waco, Texas-based university issuing its second denial to the Sexual Identity Forum, a group that formed in late 2010 in response to the suicide of 18 year old Rutgers University student who leapt to his death from the George Washington Bridge after two fellow students allegedly broadcast a video of him and another man in a sexual encounter over the internet. Students with the Sexual Identity Forum say it is time the historic Texas institution finally confronts its tenuous history with homosexuality. Baylor senior Saralyn Salisbury says "I think when you don't talk about it, when you put something away under the rug, it creates this culture of fear. I know a lot of gay students at Baylor who think that they'll be kicked out of Baylor if they're open [about who they are." That fear is in part engendered by stories like that of George W. Truett Seminary student Matt Bass, who in 2003 accused the university of revoking his scholarship because he was gay. Within months, the story prompted demonstrations, drawing attention to the school's policy towards homosexuality on campus. That policy, according to Baylor’s Statement on Human Sexuality, says that "Baylor University welcomes all students into a safe and supportive environment in which to discuss and learn about a variety of issues, including those of human sexuality. The University affirms the biblical understanding of sexuality as a gift from God. Christian churches across the ages and around the world have affirmed purity in singleness and fidelity in marriage between a man and a woman as the biblical norm. Temptations to deviate from this norm include both heterosexual sex outside of marriage and homosexual behaviour. It is thus expected that Baylor students will not participate in advocacy groups which promote understandings of sexuality that are contrary to biblical teaching." Baylor spokesperson Lori Fogleman says student organizations are subject to a specific set of procedures in order to be recognized, and says the university clearly communicated its concerns, saying "The university does not believe that a student organization is the most viable medium in which to have this kind of dialogue on difficult decisions. We really want to make sure we place our students in a safe, educational environment, where a multiplicity of opinions can be welcomed." The Sexual Identity Forum has a petition on their website, and its head, Samantha Jones says the group will continue to appeal the university's decision in the hopes of finding acceptance.